House-numbering device



19, 1935. BERGER 1,994,937

' nous]? NUMBERING DEVICE Filed Feb. 4, 1953 ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Harrison 3. Berger, Denver, Colo. Application February 4, 1933, Serial No. 655,186

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a system of housenumbering, its primary object being to provide simple means for displaying the numbers of homes along a thoroughfare, so that they may be clearly seen by approaching pedestrians and by occupants of approaching vehicles.

Another object of the invention is to construct the elements included in such a system in such a manner that the numbers may be distinctly seen at night as well as in daytime.

An illustrative embodimentv of the invention has been shown in the accompanying drawing, in the several views of which like parts are similarly designated, and in which Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a thoroughfare to which the house-numbering system has been applied according to the present invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the elements included in the system, drawn to an enlarged scale,

Figure 3 is a still further enlarged section taken in the plane indicated by the line 3-3 in Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a face view of the number-carrying member of the element shown in Figures 2' and 3,

Figure 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a number plate adapted for use in connection with the member shown in Figures 4 and 5,

Figure '7 is a perspective View of a section of the plate, when made in sectional form as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and

Figure 8 is a reduced face view of a blank used in producing a frame-part of the member shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Referring first to Figure 1 of the drawing, the numeral 5 designates a driveway of a thoroughfare, between curbings 6. Adjacent these curbings at the sides of the driveway are the elements of the system in the form of monuments, which show to pedestrians or occupants of approaching vehicles, the numbers of houses along the thoroughfare.

Each monument, as best shown in Figures 2 and 3, consists of a body '7 made of cement or other suitable material, set in the soil or in the paving of the thoroughfare at the edges of the driveway 5.

The monument has a vertical front 8 for the display of the house-number, and its top-surface 9 slants downwardly from said front to a base 10 which, m practice, is embedded in the ground 55 or in the paving as the case may be. The sides 12 of the body may shown. V

In the preferred form of the invention, shown in the drawing, the body is hollow to provide a housing for a detachable number-carrying 5 member 13, and it has in its front an opening 14 to expose the number. r

The member, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, consists of a number-plate 15, the figures or letters 16 of which are cut out as in a stencil. A back- 10 plate 17 provided with a reflective surface, isplaced behind the'plate 15 and the two plates are held in their relative positions in a frame 18 preferably constructedof a blank of the form shown in Figure 8. V

This blank consists of a plate having'bevele ended flanges 18a which may be folded upon the body portion of the plate along lines 180, to embrace the edges of the plates 15 and 17 The entire member thus assembled is placed in the housing against the front-part of the same, and in order to hold the member in place one or more of the surfaces of the body around the opening 14 of the front-part, may be beveled, as indicated at 19 in Figure 3. q 25 If so desired, the number-plate may be made in sections 15a of the type shown in Figure '7. The sections have offset flanges 150 so that they may be assembled in lapping relation to each other.

When the monument is in place, its front faces the direction in which vehicles are driven along the driveway. The numbers at the front of the monument are 'thus clearly visible to the occu-' pants of the vehicles in daytime as well as at night, it being apparent that the light rays of the head lights of the vehicles will be reflected. by the reflective background of the cut-out figures or letters, provided by the plate 17, thus causing the figures or letters to be clearly outlined.

The sloping top strengthens the construction of the monument, and at the same time renders it less obstructive, while the enlarged base, as shown in Figure 2, provides a rigid and firm support for the element.

. It will be understood that the system is not only useful to the occupants of vehicles moving along the driveway, but also to pedestrians on the walks at the sides of the drive-way, since the fronts of the monuments may be observed from either part of the thoroughfare.

Changesin the form and construction of the monuments per se orin their arrangement relative to a thoroughfare, may be resorted to without be vertically parallel as departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the hereunto appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A house-numbering device comprising a hollow monument adapted to be placed in an operative position by embedment of its bottom portion in the ground, the monument having an open front and means for the support of a plate bearing house-identifying indicia in register with said front, and the said bottom portion having an opening rendering said plate-supporting means accessible before the monument is embedded in the ground but inaccessible when the monument is embedded in the ground.

2. The combination with a thoroughfare having a driveway, of a monument at a side of the driveway opposite a house at the corresponding side of the thoroughfare, and in a position facing a prescribed direction of travel lengthwise of the driveway, the monument comprising a flat base embedded in the ground adjacent the driveway, a hollow monument projecting upwardly from the base above ground and having an open front, means for the support of a plate bearing house-identifying indicia in register with said front, and a top slanting rearwardly from the upper edge of the front to the base.

3. The combination with a thoroughfare having a driveway, of a monument at a side of the driveway oppositea house at the corresponding side of the thoroughfare, and in a position facing a prescribed direction of travel lengthwise of the driveway, the monument comprising a flat base embedded in the ground adjacent the driveway, a hollow monument projecting upwardly from the base above ground and having an open front, means for the support of a plate bearing light-reflected house-identifying indicia in register with said front, and a top slanting rearwardly from the upper edge of the front to the base;

HARRISON J. BERGER. 

